The Black Sea resort was selected by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) in 2007 – a charmed year for Putin-era Russia.
Economic growth was at its second-highest level since the
collapse of the Soviet Union and oil prices reached a 30-year
peak. The worldwide financial crisis was still a year away and a
million miles from the public consciousness.

Vladimir Putin – who literally took center stage during the bid
with a surprise speech to the IOC that showcased his
English to the world for the first time – did not shy away from
the geopolitical significance of Sochi 2014.

"This is not just a recognition of Russia's sporting
achievements, but it is, beyond any doubt, a judgment on our
country. It is a recognition of our growing capability, first of
all economically and socially," Putin said as the Russian
delegation celebrated the close victory.

That effortless ebullience was always going to be hard to
maintain for seven years.

Sochi itself – a densely populated subtropical city with mediocre
infrastructure – was never going to be an easy site to adapt for
the Games.

For other recent hosts, a positive Olympic legacy was stadiums
that would not stand empty after the last paying spectators filed
out, the revitalization of a small part of a metropolis, or
simply a bill that would not cripple the host town for decades.

Sochi was to be rebuilt from a bustling but creaky and provincial
resort to a world-class tourism capital.

Some locals have objected to seeing their hometown turned into a
building site, and other Russians have balked at the bill for the
Games, which totaled over $6 billion spent on the Olympic
facilities and almost $40 billion spent on the development of the
Krasnodar region, where the games took place.

Three hundred and sixty-three pieces of infrastructure have been
constructed especially for the Olympics.

But now, the brand new facilities – designed by the world’s top
architects – glitter in the snow. Whether they are enough to
attract millions of tourists to Sochi in the future will become
apparent only years after the Games have finished.

Through their lengthy preparations, major sports events always
accrue a debt in the public perception. The preparations for the
last Olympics in London were overshadowed by endless concerns
over security, traffic, and rising costs, along with a
transformable stadium that cost more than a permanent structure.

Yet once the first athlete took off their tracksuit, the credit
was repaid, and handsomely so in the end, as a communal spirit
and world-record performances captured the headlines.

Sochi has already provided the first spectacle with a
record-breaking 65,000km Olympic torch relay that provided real insight into Russia.
It has been hosted by 135 cities located in all of Russia’s 83
regions and republics. The longest nonstop leg of the relay
spanned 2,055km, between the cities of Norilsk and Yakutsk in the
Russian Far East.

What are the facilities like?

The Sochi Games will take place on two separate sites.

Down by the palm tree-dotted coast is the main cluster of indoor
facilities and the Olympic village itself. Temperatures here
rarely fall below freezing, and indeed Sochi is the warmest city
to ever host the Winter Games.

The centerpiece is the 40,000 capacity Fisht Stadium – named
after a local mountain – which will host the opening and closing
ceremonies. Designed by Populous architectural firm, which
rebuilt the stadium that hosted the last World Cup Final in
Johannesburg, Fisht stadium will be expanded to host matches
during the 2018 World Cup.

The site itself will also be used after the Games, and will host
Russia’s first ever Formula 1 race next year.

The Bolshoi Ice Dome along with the Shayba Arena will host ice
hockey events.

The outdoor facilities are at Krasnaya Polyana, located 48km from
the Coastal Cluster about 500 meters above sea level. At the
moment, there is snow at the facilities – but just in case, there
are 500 snow cannons on standby, ready to release 25 million
cubic feet of snow saved up from previous winters.

The brand-new 1,814-meter-long Sanki Sliding Center track becomes
the longest-ever in the world for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton.
It was designed specifically to host international tournaments
and was constructed in just two years.

Sanki’s statistics are impressive: 17 turns for men and 16 for
women and pairs. The bobs will flash past with a maximum speed of
around 135km per hour. The highest point is located at 836 meters
above sea level and its lowest point at 704 meters.

How do Russians feel about the Games?

Many Russians feel pride over hosting the Games. A survey by
Russia's independent Levada polling center showed that the
majority of Russians believe a strong performance by athletes
would increase the country’s international image.

Russian public opinion is still split in its judgment of the
country’s performance at the London Olympics in 2012. Russia
finished fourth in the official medal standings – behind the USA,
China, and Great Britain.

Many have better hopes for the Winter Games, with 43 percent of
respondents believing that Russia will finish in the top three
countries. The majority of those surveyed specified that the most
important thing is watching their own athletes do well.

Despite many of those surveyed expressing worries over corruption
allegations, 38 percent of respondents said they believe Russia’s
choice to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi was the right move
for the country.

What about the actual competition?

Sochi has opened its doors to 6,700 athletes who will be staying
in the Mountain Olympic Village, Coastal Cluster, and Endurance
Village. All the housing areas are located within a few minutes’
walk from the competition venues.

The US Olympic team will provide the biggest presence, with 233
athletes in all, while only one entrant each will represent the
Islands of Bermuda, Venezuela, British Virgin Islands, East Timor
and Zimbabwe.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in France published that it projects
Russia to achieve third place overall. It estimates that the US
will come in first with 35 medals, Germany second with 26 medals,
and Russia third with 25 medals.

The Associated Press has predicted that Russia will come in
fourth with 10 gold medals. It expects Norway to grab more gold
medals than any other team at the Sochi Games. The news agency
estimated that good performances in the biathlon, alpine skiing,
and cross-country skiing - among other events - will allow the
Norwegians to come away with 17 Olympic gold medals.

AP predicts that the US will achieve second place in the overall
standings with 14 gold medals, and the Canadians will finish
third with 13 golds. It has forecasted that Russia will come in
fourth place.

Another projection places Russia in sixth place with seven gold
medals, according to AIF newspaper.

The year 2014 marks 90 years of Winter Olympics, with twelve new
sporting events making their debuts, providing athletes with
fresh ways to compete for the gold. New competitions in figure
skating, extreme sports, and biathlon events are set to take
place.